GLADBROOK – For over 100 years, the American Legion Auxiliary has sponsored Poppy Days to remind America that millions have sacrificed their lives and health to keep our nation strong and free.

On Friday, May 9, members of the Gladbrook American Legion Auxiliary will be distributing poppies around local Gladbrook businesses, while the Gladbrook Junior Auxiliary will be distributing poppies at Westbrook Acres, Independent Living, and other places the following Wednesday, May 14.

The poppy, which grew wild on the battlefields of Europe, became in the minds of the doughboys of World War I a symbol of the sacrifice they had endured. Poppies flourished among the shell-shattered buildings and bomb-scarred landscape. Its brilliant red bloom, so much like the blood which had been shed there, became a sign of hope and renewal for those who lived and walked away. For those who would never leave, those who had sacrificed their lives, it was a perpetual memorial to their bravery.

American veterans brought home that image and planted it with the Auxiliary where it has bloomed every year for the benefit of those who served America. The Memorial Poppy contributions are devoted entirely to rehabilitation and assistance for veterans and their families.